Ship Time

Ship time is always a major event in every northern community, usually involving at least three types of ship: the coastguard/icebreaker, the oil tanker and the cargo ship. The coastguard comes in ahead of the others to ensure the ice is broken up and the passage safe. The oil tanker brings in the year’s supply of oil, gasoline, heating fuel and aviation gas, while the government cargo ships unload heavy supplies such as lumber and vehicles.

The Northwest Company (which replaced the Hudson Bay Company in the 1980s) have their own ships to re-supply the communities, sometimes racing against time to get in and out before the ice brings winter freeze-up. It is always an exciting time. The Northwest Company ships often hire every male in town to help unload a year’s supply of goods as quickly as possible, from freezers and snowmobiles to frozen foods and Christmas supplies. The last ship’s departure means that winter is close, snow flurries are in the air and once more Inuit can look forward to getting back to hunting on the land again.

The oil tanker. The tankers bring oil (for heating buildings and homes) gasoline and aviation fuel to last the territorial capital for a full year, providing for buildings, aircraft and vehicles. as the oil tanks are situated out of town, the ship stays offshore while the fuel is pumped through mobile pipes to land lines. Because the fuel comes once a year, the government negotiates an annual price, so the consumer pays the same throughout the following year. this process is carried out in all communities and at mine sites.

The coastguard also serves as an icebreaker and is often the first ship to arrive in many arctic communities to pave the way for oil tankers and cargo ships. usually stationed in dartmouth, nova Scotia; or Quebec City, Quebec, they appear in nunavut from the first week of July on and their Canadian red and white colours remind northerners of their links to the rest of the huge country in which they are a part.

Ship to shore. In Iqaluit the low tides stretch far out into the bay, so shallow draft barges are used to freight goods from offshore cargo ships to the shoreline. time is precious as ships try to make as many runs from the South as possible, so they often work through the night to speed up offloading.

Ship to shore. In Iqaluit the low tides stretch far out into the bay, so shallow draft barges are used to freight goods from offshore cargo ships to the shoreline. time is precious as ships try to make as many runs from the South as possible, so they often work through the night to speed up offloading.

Sealift via cargo ships brings heavy supplies to most communities, such as oil for heating homes, housing supplies, machinery and vehicles while re-supplying the stores and some private individuals with their annual stock of supplies. the Central and Western arctic is re-supplied from Hay River by huge barges and taloyoak is the last community to be serviced, which often was a race against freeze-up.

Nick Newbery taught in several communities in Nunavut from 1976-2005. He would like to acknowledge the assistance he received for this article from Bert Rose, northern educator and long-time resident of Nunavut. The photos in this article are from Nick’s Arctic photo collection that can be found at www.newberyphotoarchives.ca and should be viewed from a historical perspective.